report xoops.docx

8/12/2019 report xoops.docx

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eXtensible Object Oriented Portal System

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Introduction:

XOOPS means eXtensible Object Oriented Portal System, the standard pronunciation of XOOPS

is more like zoops. XOOPS is strongly oriented towards the construction of community sites.

But it is flexible enough to serve as a single-webmaster site (a blog, for instance) and as an

enterprise content-oriented portal If XOOPS, the mall, is a bunch of scripts that provide the

general framework of a dynamic Web site, then modules, the tenants, are smaller packages made

up of scripts that provide a particular content offer to the sites visitor. One module provides

news; another, a picture gallery another one, a discussion forum.

The XOOPS core is actually a package of interrelated PHP files that in an appropriate setting

provide the functions needed to operate the website. Many of these functions are completely

hidden from the end user, and are only used by modules in order to work properly. Many more

are visible to the user and to the webmaster through the System module, which gives the user

some essential functions such as the login procedure, the main menu and the user menu, a hint of

whos online, access to the search function,and some theme-switching capability, to name a few.

The core and the System module also give the webmaster the admin area, the place where most

of the control over the site happens.

To sum up, then the XOOPS core comprises a lot of power hidden under calls to classes or

functions, provides the functional framework, the templating engine, the handling of languages

and much more. It accomplishes part this through the System module, which is the only one

installed in a default XOOPS package, as its through this module that the webmaster decides

what other modules will be part of the live site.


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XOOPS is a tool to manage dynamic Web sites [fig 1] :

XOOPS is an open source set of scripts written in PHP that, when installed in an Internet

host that has support for PHP, a web server such as Apache, and a MySQL database manager,

allows the easy creation of dynamic, complex and content-rich Web sites, from personal weblogs

all the way up to corporate portals.

the above figure consist of following administrative tools and components,

1.Tool bar (Dashboard)

2.System optional panel

3.Installed Modules

4.System information

fig 1:Administrative tools


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1.Tool bar : it consist of common tolls like avatar ,banner ,block ,image manager , groups and

mail user , smiles ,user ranks ,templates , comments.

2.System option : it consist of all optional available on the system.

3.Installed Modules : it consist of all the modules which are installed in the system.

4.System information: it provide basic information about the application system

like version, system Specification and so on.

what is XOOPS ...?

Xoops was founded in 2002 and quickly emerged as a leading open source CMS. Its overall

design focuses on ease of use as well as modularization. It started to rack up awards on a

consistent basis in 2008 and rode the wave to more success in 2009. It is a permission based

system where both the administration and users can change the appearance of the entire website.

Xoops is database driven, has a user-friendly interface, and excellent community support.

The latest Alpha Xoops release is considered to be the biggest redesign of the Administration

module and has made Xoops much easier to use for the non-tech savvy and first time users. It

features an easy drag and drop system that makes designing the website a snap. New features of

Xoops 2.5 [fig 2] include the visual placement blocks, central support for jQuery, better installer,

themable Admin area, critical security updates, new system license key, and added support to

PHP

fig2:XOOPS logo


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What is CMS [fig 3] :

A Content Management System(CMS) is a computer program that allows publishing, editing and

modifying content as well as maintenance from a central interface. Such systems of content

management provide procedures to manage workflow in a collaborative environment.

fig 3: Content Management System


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Key features of XOOPS:

Database-drivenXOOPS uses a relational database (currently MySQL) to store data required for running a

web-based content management system.

Fully ModularizedModules can be installed, uninstalled, and activated or deactivated with a click using the

XOOPS module administration system .Personalization users can edit their profiles,

select site themes, upload custom avatars, and much more!

User ManagementXOOPS offers users the ability to search for users by various criteria, and send email or

private messages to other users through a template-based messaging system.

Supported World-wideXOOPS was created and is maintained by a team of several hard-working volunteers

from all over the world. The XOOPS Community has more than a dozen official support

sites around the world for support of non-English speaking users.

Multi-byte Language SupportXOOPS fully supports multi-byte languages, including Japanese, Simplified and

Traditional Chinese, and Korean among others.Versatile Group Permissions System

XOOPS comes with a powerful and user-friendly permissions system which enables

administrators to set permissions by group.


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Theme-based skinnable interfaceXOOPS is driven by a powerful theme system. Both administrators and users can change

the look of the entire web site with just a click of a mouse. There are also over 60 themes

available for download!!

Upgrading XoopsEditor package:In the XOOPS package, there are eight editors included: dhtmltextarea and textarea for

plain text, fckeditor, tinymce, koivi, wymeditor, Xinha, and Spaw2 for WYSIWYG

HTML. Since there are some directory structure changes in both fckeditor and tinymce

editors, you are recommended to remove existing editors before uploading the new

editors.

Translating XOOPS to Local LanguageIf you're looking for a XOOPS 2.5.x translations into local languages, you will be able to

download them most of the time from your local support sites. After release of each

XOOPS version, you will be able to download some of them from the SourceForge Files

area, in the "XOOPS Core Translations" section.

Xoops Components:

AvatarsAvatars are small graphics or pictures that can be used in various content settings around

the site. They are often used next to a user name to add a bit of visual identification.

Typical applications are the forum.


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The Avatar Manager [fig 1] allows the Site administrator to add, edit or delete System

Avatars as well as Custom Avatars. System Avatars are images uploaded by the Site

administrator in the Avatar Manager section. Custom Avatars are images directly

uploaded by a user. For a user to be able to upload an avatar, the correct option must be

configured in the User Info Settings of the Site Preferences Selecting the List next

to System Avatars, the Site administrator can edit the name and the display order of all

the System Avatars, as well as deleting anyone of them. Note that if the Site

administrator deleted an avatar that is used by a user, this user will lose his avatar.

fig 4: Avatars


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Banners :Banners are advertisements displayed in the top section of the page. They may be images

or flash movies, e.g. the wildly gyrating XOOPS banner that is part of the default

installation. XOOPS has a built in system for managing banners and creating accounts for

advertising clients, which is found in the System Module -> Banners. [fig 5] You can have

multiple banners on a XOOPS site the display area rotates through each of the active

banners in turn each time a new page is loaded. Each time a banner is displayed to a

visitor, this counts as one impression, which is the common trading currency of

banners. Clients typically pay for a certain number of impressions i.e. to have their

advertisement displayed a certain number of times.

fig 5:Banner


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Blocks :Blocks are discreet sections of content that can be created and configured in the admin

interface. Custom blocks can be created and are typically made up of text, graphics and

pictures. The content in these blocks may be formatted individually or inherit the site

formatting. Blocks may also be part of a modules display output. The blocks

administration [fig 6] page is where all blocks are configured and administered.

Blocks are like a newspapers' front page: they are teasers that incite readers to read more

complete stories in the inside pages. Blocks offer small bits of dynamic content with links

to the actual content stored in the module. They are often used to place HTML content,

banners or pictures, and the site administrators can easily create their own blocks with the

"custom block" feature. Part of the things that happen under the hood or behind curtains

when a module is installed in a XOOPS site is that the module's blocks are registered in

the system so they can be used at will by the webmaster.

What can a webmaster do with a block? Well, mostly, decide about where in the site the

block will be shown (the equivalent of defining a shop window, which in this case can be

in the outside, the home page, or even in the inside: a block can be defined to be shown in

other modules), and when shown, where in a page will it be seen.

Every module that is installed in a XOOPS site registers its blocks in the System, and the

webmaster can decide where it will be shown, in what part of the page it'll appear and

what kind of relevance, weight or position will it have. The site administrator can also

edit the block's label and, if knowledgeable enough, can even edit the template that

underlies the block's presentation.


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fig 6:Blocks Administration

Comments :Site administrators have the option of providing a comments section for users. Comments

can be added to many modules and displayed in a variety of ways. Comments can be

screened, filtered, and made available to selected groups. This provides quick easy

interaction from site users, while maintaining good moderation and security.

The Comment Manager [fig 7] allows the Site administrator to edit and delete any

comment that has been posted to the site, originating in any module that supports the

comments feature. Like the Blocks Administration page, some filters options are

available to help the site administrator manage the comments. You can also select several

comments and delete them at once.


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fig :7 comment manager

Groups :XOOPS incorporates a member registration system - you can optionally require people to

sign up to your site in order to have access to certain areas or functions. For example,

most sites require people to join before they are allowed to contribute news or post

messages in the forums Access and administration rights to a XOOPS website are set

through a flexible permission system based on 'user groups' [fig 8] . The default groups

include anonymous users, registered members and webmasters, but of course you can

define as many groups as you need to manage your site. Each group can be given a

unique set of access rights governing:

- Which blocks can be seen

- Which modules can be accessed

- Which modules can be administered

- Which aspects of system administration can be modified


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The three default user access groups are as follows

o Anonymous users

o Registered users

o Webmasters (site administrators)

a) Anonymous users:

Anonymous users may be allowed to view certain content as displayed by a particular

module, or groups of modules. When anonymous users visit your site they will

automatically see a default level of content for this group without any action on their part.

b) Registered users:

Registered users of the site can be granted rights to view and interact with other modules

not available to the anonymous group. On initial site visit, assuming there is no auto-

login function, they see the default content like any other visitor. However, when they

login with their correct user details, the page will reload to include any links, menus and

module content accessible to the registered group. The site administrator can design a site

to display totally different module content, or simply additional module content to

registered users.

c) Webmasters:

As the creator of the XOOPS site the Webmaster or site administrator has complete and

overall rights of access and administration. However, it is possible to promote any

registered user to Webmaster status and share your privileges. It is safer to create a

custom group and grant module and administration access for selected modules if you

wish to allow others to administrate areas of the site.


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fig :8 Group Manager

Image Manager:The Image Manager

[fig 9] is a tool that enables people to upload, organize and retrieve

images for use throughout the site. You must configure the image manager before you

can use it this involves creating some categories to store your images and setting

preferences on issues such as maximum image dimensions, file size and user group

access rights. Each category is configured separately. Images can be categorized and

uploaded directly into the images manager through a browser in this window with one


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click of a button, enabling easy insertion of images into news articles and other content.

There is an extensive permission system controlling image dimensions, file size and

access of user groups to different categories.

fig : 9 Image Manager

Modules :Modules are the software constructs that, taking advantage of the infrastructure that

XOOPS provides, let the webmaster offer the sites users dynamic or static content

generated using a Web interface that more often that not is very easy to use. Part of the


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power of XOOPS resides in the way modules are managed. The webmaster can easily

install, uninstall, activate or deactivate any specific module (except the System module,

for obvious reasons). Its also possible to rename modules, and to determine the order in

which they will appear to the end user in the sites menu (if you want them to appear at

all), because you can also provide hidden functionality, defining active modules that have

no visible presence to the casual user. For instance, you could define a module as not

visible in the menu by disabling the check icon in the Menu column. So for the News

module, you could then send a private messages to selected group of your users and tell

them to access that directory typing the address in the URL field, something

like http://www.yoursite.com/modules/news. To change order of modules (which will be

reflected in the Menu), you just need to drag and drop the modules to the desired

placement .

Module installation [fig 10] needs some planning, both for the modules to be displayed and

also the layout on the pages.It is a good idea to review other XOOPS sites and see which

modules are used to display various types of content. This is easily done by opening

any XOOPS site and hovering over the menu links on the left and right hand side panels.

At the same time look at the URLs displayed in the status bar on your browser. Youshould see addresses like this http://the_site.com/modules/news/.... All modules are

stored in the /modules/ directory, thus the following sector of the address (in this example

'news') shows the module that will display contents of that menu link.

If you open the page for the link it will show an example of how the module is used and

the type of content it displays. Reviewing other sites like this will also give you some

good insight into layout and design capabilities.


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fig : 10 Modules Administration

Templates:XOOPS allows for some separation between the actual presentation of the site (the skin

or user interface) and the code that runs in the back. The first one is handled by a

sophisticated mechanism based on graphical themes. A theme may include, in its basic

form, the essential HTML templates [fig 11]that define the visual interface of the site, as

well as the style sheets and images needed to complement that visual interface.

Themes are switchable in the administrative interface, so changing the whole

appearance of a XOOPS site its just a matter of changing the value of a selector and

clicking on Accept. XOOPS also provides site administrators with the ability to let

users choose among some available themes.


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User RanksUser Ranks [fig 12] allow you to give people some status based on either their role orlevel of participation in the community. It is important to note that user ranks are

functionally irrelevant they confer any extra privileges or administrative rights at all

they are just titles. User access rights are actually controlled elsewhere (through the

Groups section of the control panel). If you assign someone the Webmaster user rank

but forget to also assign them to the Webmaster user group (a common mistake) they

may look cool but they wont be able to administer the site!Normal ranks are

assigned on the basis of the number of forum posts and comments a user has made. A

users rank will change as they make enough posts to qualify for the next level.

XOOPS ships with the following default ranks: Just popping in; Not too shy to talk;

Quite a regular; Just cant stay away; and Home away from home. XOOPS also ships

with two special ranks: Moderator and Webmaster. Special ranks differ in that they

fig : 11 Template Manager


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can be assigned to users irrespective of the number of posts they have made. A typical

use of special ranks is to give recognition to people performing various administrative

functions

UsersXOOPS provides built in tools for easy user management [fig 13]. These include the ability

search for users by various criteria, send email and private messages to users through a

template-based messaging system. In your site, users have the rights that pertain to the

group they're assigned to. As to users, they have access to their profile, have some control

over most of the information that will be visible to other users, and have also an inbox to

receive private messages from the site administrator or from other users. They have

besides control over what changes in the site will trigger personal notifications. And

depending on the permissions set by the site manager, they can see content and

participate in the site's life by uploading content, writing stories or comments, rating

content and in general giving their feedback to what they see on the site.

fig :12 Ranks Manager


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"Advanced Search" provides a wide range of options that you can use to search for

specific users or to filter your membership. You can also obtain a complete list of

members by pressing the submit button without using any of the filters.

Smilies [fig 14] :Smiles are little graphic symbols that people can use to express themselves . They can be

inserted anywhere in the text of an article, comment or post from both the user and admin

sides of the system. XOOPS ships with a collection of 17 smilies built in. Some of these

are displayed on the submission forms in various modules (including forums, news,

downloads, links and others). Clicking on a smilie will insert it into the post. Smilies can

also be inserted by typing in their unique codes (keyboard shortcuts), for example

typing :-D in a post will insert this smilie: The full list of smilies available on your

system and their codes is accessible through the Smilies section of the System Module.

Here you can add, edit and delete smilies, and control which are displayed on submission

forms (only nine of the 17 are displayed by default) If you dont want smilies on your

fig : 13 Users Manager


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system, you can either uncheck the display in form? box (in which case they wont

appear on submission forms, but will still be available via their codes), or use the delete

link to remove them entirely.

fig : 14 Smilies Manager


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XOOPS has received numerous awards:

It was a Finalist for the Best Project of SourceForge 2008 Community Awards and

finalist for Best PHP Open Source CMS organized by Packt Publishing. In addition,

XOOPS received Awards [fig 15]from Adobe Edge as a Top CMS, received 5 out of 5

Stars from Germany's CHIP Magazine, or placed as a top CMS on a list published by

ONDD.XOOPS has over 6,600,000 downloads from the SourceForge Website and is

with that the #1 CMS (Content Management System) on SourceForge

fig : 15 XOOPS Awards


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Xoops vs Wordpress :

XOOPS WORDPRESS

Application Apache Application Apache

License GPL License GPL

Authentication Type LDAP Authentication Type Pluggable

FTP Support YES FTP Support YES

Database Replication NO Database Replication NOLoad Balancing YES Load Balancing YES

The Best Reasons to Use Xoops:

Easy to Learn:Xoops has one of the smallest learning curves available, especially when compared to a

larger CMS likeJoomla orDrupal. The back end is very easy to use and has a very

intuitive design. Any additional features that your website may need can be added

through additional modules and themes.

World Wide Support:Some content management system users have a problem for users that do not speak

English. Xoops has some of the best world wide support available in a variety of

languages. In fact, Xoops has more than a dozen support sites that are specifically

designed for non-English speaking users.
http://webmasterformat.com/learn/tools/cms/joomlahttp://webmasterformat.com/learn/tools/cms/drupalhttp://webmasterformat.com/learn/tools/cms/drupalhttp://webmasterformat.com/learn/tools/cms/joomla


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User Management:Xoops makes it easy for the administrator to find users based upon a variety of criteria

and can send both emails and private messages using a simple template-based system.

Additionally, users can easily edit their profiles, choose their own website theme, and

even use custom avatars.

Reasons Why Xoops May Not Be the Right CMS For You

A Big Push:While Xoops is enjoying a growing amount of users and community support, it had better

last. From 2004 to 2007 there was almost no new development happening at Xoops

headquarters. Many of their best developers started working on several Xoops offshoots.

Fortunately, all of these developers have reunited under the Xoops banner and it is now

releasing updates or new versions on almost a monthly basis. However, there is a good

chance that if Xoops 2.5 doesn't impress that it could quickly revert back to the nearly

4 years of underdevelopment.

Old Modules:One of the biggest reasons that many people choose Xoops is because of the simple

modularization. Unfortunately, many of the modules simple are not getting the support

that they need. In fact, a number of modules haven't been updated in 3+ years. You will

find a module that could suit your needs only to find out that the link to module doesn't

even work or the developer has quit updating it. Xoops is making a comeback and couldonce again become one of the best CMS options available. While it offers a number

of fantastic benefits, there are also a few reasons to be vary.


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Conclusion :

xoops it is a content management system ,we can easy build a web portal system with a good

look and feel which provide an good environment along with good community support and it is

based on the GPL (General Public License ) open source application any one can download and

any one can register their community with better grouping and mailing services so it's provide an

easy and user friendly CMS System

References:

http://www.xoops.org (accessed on 14th September 2013)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XOOPS(accessed on 14th September 2013)

http://www.webmasterformat.com/tools/cms/xoops(accessed on 14th September 2013)+

http://www.bitnami.com(accessed on 15th September 2013)

http://www.blackmonk.com/(accessed on 16th September 2013)

http://www.navegabem.com/cms-edit-demo.html(accessed on 16th September 2013)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkG130EurPM(accessed on 16th September 2013)

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